{"id":332529,"date":"2017-06-28T16:15:20","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T16:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=332529"},"modified":"2017-06-28T16:15:20","modified_gmt":"2017-06-28T16:15:20","slug":"ethiopia-asks-for-extension-of-saudi-amnesty-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/06\/ethiopia-asks-for-extension-of-saudi-amnesty-deadline\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopia asks for extension of Saudi amnesty deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"
Thousands of Ethiopians are still stuck in Saudi Arabia after a 90-day amnesty for undocumented migrants expired on Tuesday without all of them leaving , the Ethiopian government has said.<\/p>\n
Communications Minister Negeri Lencho told the BBC that the government has asked for the amnesty to be extended.<\/p>\n
He said more than 45,000 citizens had so far returned but there were many more waiting to go back home.<\/p>\n
Ethiopians have been employed in Saudi Arabia in building and domestic work.<\/p>\n
Mr Negeri said that the government was expecting “a positive response” from the Saudi authorities for its request to extend the amnesty.<\/p>\n
In March 2017 the Saudi interior minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, announced the amnesty under a campaign called “A nation with no legal violator”.<\/p>\n
During this period any one in breach of the country’s residency and labour rules or regulations would be free to leave without facing any penalties.<\/p>\n
In 2013 a similar amnesty was announced, however any illegal migrant who did not leave Saudi Arabia had to face punishment by way of fines, prison or being deported.<\/p>\n
During that time a number of Ethiopians were killed in clashes with the Saudi police as they were being rounded up for deportation.<\/p>\n